Page 26 - Las Vegas Golf & Leisure Fall 2019

[ INDU S T R Y INSIGH T S ]

NE W S • E V EN T S • BEH IND T HE SCENE S

Huge Summer of State Southern Nevada Wins

Amateur Golf Prestigious Pac Am Title
LAS VEGAS REPRESENTS A FIRST FOR THE SNGA

t was another epic summer of amateur golf at the state level in Ne- as Vegas Golf Hall of Fame and PGA of America, Southwest
vada. Southern Nevada Golf Association member Daren John- Section, Southern Nevada Chapter professional Mike Da-
Ison won the Nevada State Golf Association Mid-Amateur for the Lvis, 2019 Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame inductee Sue May and
second time and fellow SNGA member George Yocum won the Nevada former Southern Nevada Golf Association president Tim Quinn were
State Net Amateur, calling it a dream come true. The events were played named SNGA Directors for the prestigious Pacific Coast Amateur and
at Red Hawk Resort in Northern Nevada. the three took home the prestigious Esrom Puc PAC Am Directors tour-
A huge tournament on the schedule was the Nevada State Match Play, ney title. The tournament was played at the Championship course at
which was played at the exclusive Summit Club in Southern Nevada for University of New Mexico in Albuquerque over the 2019 summer.
the first time. Craig Erickson defeated former UNLV golfer Alex Jordan “Each Association appoints three directors to be on the Pacific Coast
3 & 2 to earn the title. board and the host course representatives organize a Director’s Tour-
“I really played good golf,” says Erickson, who works for a mechanical nament the day before the official Pacific Coast Amateur starts and the
contractor. “I contend in these events, but don’t win many. When you three Directors play as a team,” May says. “Since 1995 when the Es-
beat kids who play college golf or a guy with a resume like Ed Fryatt, it’s rom Puc was created–that’s actually Morse Cup spelled backwards–the
phenomenal.” SNGA has never won the tournament. This year we proudly get to bring
Winning divisions at the Nevada State Senior Amateur at Reflection the trophy home for a year.
Bay were Kelly Knievel (senior), Jim LiCausi (net), Rich Morrison (sil- “The format of the overall Pacific Coast Amateur tournament is each
ver) and Ken Perry (silver net). golf association that belongs to the Pacific Coast selects three of their
UNLV golfer J.J. Gresco made a hole-in-one during the final round best players to compete. For the first two days, the players are a team
comeback at Somersett Country Club in Northern Nevada en route to a playing for the Morse Cup. The other two days they play as individuals.
two-stroke win at the Nevada State Amateur over Mitchell Abbott. Fin- All four days of scores count in the individual part of the tournament.
ishing third was former Coronado golfer Grant McKay. Gresco started The SNGA team this year was Ed Fryatt, Cameron Barzekoff and Daren
the day four shots behind Abbott. Johnson. There are also presidential invites who play individually, not
“It (3rd hole) was playing about 150 yards and I hit a 9-iron,” he said part of the team. Our invite was UNLV player Jack Trent.”
of his first hole-in-one in seven years. “There’s a big ridge to the right The team of Fryatt, Barzekoff and Johnson finished tied for 13th with
and a backstop so I went at the ridge knowing what it should do. I hit it Alberta. Trent finished 1 under and was the top Southern Nevada fin-
there and thought it should be good. It stopped, spun back and hit the isher.
flagstick dead-center on the opposite side of the hole. Once that went in,
I thought ‘OK, we’re not out of this.’”

Daren Johnson

George Yocum

L to R: Mike Davis, Tim Quinn, Daren Johnson,
J.J. Gresco Sue May, Cameron Barzekoff & Edward Fryatt

24 LVG&L FALL 2019 W W W.L ASVEGASGOLFANDLEISURE.COM